(Its) retaining the people youve got, he said. He decided to remain private regarding her life and By 1963, Ongais had his own gas dragster, a supercharged 371 Chevy-powered budget machine cobbled together from castoff parts from other teams and manufacturers and won the AHRA Winter Championships in both 1963 and 1964. WebINDIANAPOLIS Danny Ongais, the first and highest-finishing Hawaiian starter at the Indy 500, also might have been one of the hardest chargers in the races storied history. Ongais made his CART debut during the 1979 season driving the #25 Panasonic/Interscope Racing Parnelli 6C-Cosworth DFX. [4], In 1977, Ongais ran his first full season in Indy cars. Ongais suffered serious injuries in a head-on crash in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, missing the rest of the season to recover. I had probably the best race other than the one I had with AJ Foyt in 1974, but Danny and I were racing at Michigan in 1978, Rutherford told NBC Sports. Whether its grabbing a badass mechanic out of World of Outlaws and introducing them to IndyCar. The rest of the year he raced only sports cars.[2]. In 1975, Ongais left the quarter-mile to pursue success in other motorsports and drove in SCCA, Formula 5000, Indycar, Formula 1, and sports-car competition. They did score a memorable AHRA win at Lions Dragstrip on the fateful March 8 day that Don Garlits exploded the transmission in Swamp Rat 13, severing half of his right foot. 18+, UK residents only, T&Cs Apply, Gamble Responsibly. He first raced at the Arizona Republic/Jimmy Bryan 150 at Phoenix International Raceway where he qualified 4th and led for several laps only to drop out after 128 laps due to engine problems. He initially drove the #65 Interscope Racing March 83C-Chevrolet V6, however, that car was replaced with the #25 March 83C-Cosworth DFX. Ongais crashed in practice and suffered a concussion in 1987 at Indianapolis while driving for Team Penske, forcing him to miss the race. His death was announced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days later. How much he loves IndyCar. [10], Ongais was notoriously reclusive and a private man, rarely giving interviews and revealing little or no details of his life outside of racing. Ongais had no fear. Service in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s exposed Ongais to sports car racing in Europe, and he moved from dragstrips to ovals and road courses in the mid-1970s. I think everyone in the team feels that we should perform and win instead of like, its a luxury to win. Ongais also began drag racing in the early 60s and became one of the top straight-line competitors in America into the early 1970s. As good as he was on two wheels and all indications are that he was very good he was equally as good or better on four wheels and quickly won the Island Championships and Outstanding Driver of the Year awards. Jim Nelson once said that what he could tell about Ongais was that "all he wanted to do was race. 25 Parnelli and Penske cars powered by Cosworth engines, with a best finish of fourth in 1979 and an excellent start of second near assistant Tom Snow in 1978. He qualified well over the season, earning three poles, and he finished 12th in the standings. Another great driver from that era was three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford, who recalled one dramatic showdown with Ongais at Michigan International Speedway in the 1978 Norton Twin 200. He had refused all requests for interviews this week, and Penske himself could not get his driver to relent. We want to pull the best of the world of motor racing and beyond. But Ward said it wasnt necessarily a driver-executive package deal. Sulley Muntari, Agyeman Badu, Asamoah Gyan, others visit Christian Atsus family home, VIDEO: Government will be fully involved in providing Christian Atsu a befitting burial Dr. Bawumia, Christian Atsus mortal remains arrive in Ghana via Turkish Airlines, Maybe I created enemies along the line Kofi Amoabeng on UT Banks collapse, Christian Atsu was one of Ghanas finest personnel Akufo-Addo, This is some food chain story Archipalago shamed for chasing clout with Christian Atsus death. He was the only guy that spoke less at functions than I did. Tommy Ivo and the five-second Top Fuel run that ignited a controversy, Wheelie neat! In 1962, Ongais was part of Leongs dragster crew at the Winternationals, where they won the Long Distance and Best Appearing awards. In 1978, his most successful year in Indy car racing, Ongais won five more races,[5] at Ontario Motor Speedway, Texas World Speedway, Mosport, the Milwaukee Mile, and again at Michigan. Daniel "Doc" Ongais | 2019 Daniel "Doc" Ongais October 11, 2019 Daniel "Doc" Ongais, 81, of Keaau, passed away on Friday, October 11, 2019 at Hilo Medical Center, born on June 10, 1938, in Olaa; he was a retired Motor Vehicle Operator for the United States Army as a Civilian worker (Federal Government) and worked for the Former Puna Sugar Company. Ongais became the Hawaiian motorcycle champion in 1960 and was in the top three positions in the expert class from 1960 to 1962.[2]. And well-deserved. "Ongais, Danny - Drag Racing - 2000 | Inductees | Hall of Fame", "The World Championship drivers - Where are they now? Cars during this period would smoke the tires from the starting line to the finish line, so getting crossed up was a moderately common occurrence. Ongais dominated in SCCA competition in 1974, catching the eye of media mogul Ted Field, who had recently founded the Interscope Records label. Thats the way he drove, too. They required not breaking, but gentling. Even his closest friends know little of his personal life. ''He could take a car that was unmanageable and make it do what he wanted,'' says one observer. Since the outset of the Russian Troop’s invasion of Ukraine, Valery has run a blog in which he details how Kherson lives and volunteered. The Flying Hawaiin led a very secretive life outside the racing world its known that Ongais had a wife but it is said h had a son who is unidentified for now. WebDanny N Patsy Ongais is on Facebook. He was my hero, to be honest with you. Getting Zak more plugged into the team has been a fantastic side effect of this change, Ward said. Staffing has been a top priority at Arrow McLaren for Ward, who says he initially was nave to how hard it is to recruit for talent right now in this sport. Facebook gives people the power to share and Thompson and Ongais also teamed up to set nearly 300 national and international speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Mach 1 Mustang during the 1960s. Ongais was a man of few words but drove a race car with the right foot of an elephant on the accelerator. The Arrow McLaren organizational hierarchy was restructured with last years departure of Taylor Kiel (who left to become team manager for Ganassi). Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting, Why Kirkwood is USA's ace-in-waiting The recruitment pitch to join the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team started with the 21st century social media version of a corporate headhunters cold call. NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch, NASCAR 2023 at Las Vegas schedule, entry list, and how to watch He had that natural ability to drive anything he climbed into. After a 9-year hiatus from racing, Ongais was asked by John Menard to fill in for Scott Brayton who was killed during Friday Practice for the 1996 Indianapolis 500. Ongais ended the season in 15th place in points. For Penske the hiring of Ongais was an aberration, a minor breach of his own immutable rules. Then weve got some really experienced guys from other IndyCar teams as well.. 1 staffing priority wasnt hiring. [15] His former Indy car competitors remembered him well after his passing, with Mario Andretti calling him that quiet lion.[16], (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position). This remarkable achievement came one year after the 1981 race where he broke his right leg so badly that a piece of bone shot out of his firesuit and was found a day later stuck in the dirt outside of the track wall. It was a big track. In September 1968, Thompson asked Ongais to help drive a trio of '69 Mustangs one with a 302, the other two NASCAR-style 427s on the Bonneville Salt Flats and in all set 295 national and international endurance records. He was as smooth they get. People get to see how much enthusiasm Zak brings. His expansive Rolodex comes in handy but hasnt been key in expanding to a third car. He is 44 and has never married. Wow, thats some high praise. He competed professionally in motorcycle, sports car, CART, IndyCar, Formula One, and drag racing. Danny completed 10th place in his last race in 1996. Ongais` life took a wrong turn up a one-way street Thursday, when he destroyed his most precious possession. That attitude often got him in trouble, though. He would get an award, step up to the microphone and just say, Thank you and then sit down. But then the wild mustangs he was driving gave way to the thoroughbreds, the ground-effects cars. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway detailed his death two days after the fact. Al Unser was named as Ongais replacement and drove to his fourth 500 victory in a backup car that was a show car earlier in May in a hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. ''In Hawaii,'' he huffed, ''I`d get at least $250.''. Danny Ongais, the Hawaiian driver admired by fans and competitors for his speed and bravery in an Indianapolis 500 career spanning three decades, died Feb. 26 of congestive heart complications in Anaheim Hills, California. He was a true talent. Service in the U.S. Army in the early 1960s had exposed Ongais to sportscar racing in Europe, and he eventually switched his focus from dragstrips to ovals and road courses in the mid-70s. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. Ongais scored another 4th-place finish at the Kent Oil 150 at Watkins Glen International and finished in 6th place in points. In Sundays Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Gundlach and Hackenberg (a damper specialist who also works on pit stops) will begin their third year together in the engineering department of Arrow McLaren as the team enters its most critical season yet in trying to become a perennial powerhouse championship contender. Ongais hadnt raced since the 1986 Indy 500. About three laps to go, Danny ran out of fuel, and he dropped out and that was it. Pole-sitter Scott Brayton suffered fatal injuries in a post-qualifying practice crash, and team owner John Menard hired Ongais as the replacement driver. Al was doing his typical thing. There have been other athletes who have taken a vow of silence, most notably baseball`s Steve Carlton. He also finished in 10th place in points. [7] He missed the rest of the CART year to recover in rehabilitation. As in any industry, networking and recruiting are cornerstones to motorsports, where big-league success is predicated as much on driver and car as the countless people who support the stars and build the machines behind the scenes for any IndyCar, NASCAR or Formula One team. I feel like its been so hard to find people in all departments. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. Just like the U.S. business world since the Great Resignation of 2020-21, one of the loudest narratives in racing has been the difficulty of hiring and keeping strong personnel since the COVID-19 pandemic upended the worlds workforce. He jumped into Scotty Braytons car in the 96 Indy 500 & finished 7th after starting last at age 54! We have an ethos here where we dont necessarily want to do things the way theyve always been done in the IndyCar world. Carrying too much speed out of the turn, the car drifted out into the grey and the back end began to slide. Weve expanded our operations pretty significantly, she said. We stayed friends over the years, and wed see each other at functions if he showed up. Zak also leads the charge in that. Don Prudhomme, who met Ongais through his old pal Leong, called me early last week to weigh in on Ongais, a guy with which he carried on a relationship even after Ongais left drag racing, thanks to Prudhommes interest in and friends within IndyCar racing. Weve got all these new people, all this new equipment, Ward said. He finished runner-up in the Top Fuel class at the 1966 NHRA U.S. Nationals after beating legend Don Prudhomme in the semifinals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, and three years later he clinched the Funny Car class win in the same event. Ongais finished in 3rd place at the Detroit News Grand Prix at Michigan International Speedway. 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